Armored vehicles having turrets mounting guns in cylindrical drum housings



R. DE MEISS HAV Sept. E2, 39%? ARMORED VEHICLES ING TURRETS MOUNTING GUNS CYLINDRICAL DRUM HOUSINGS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 9, 1965 R. DE MEISS ARMORED VEHICLES HAVING TURRETS MOUNTING GUNS IN CYLINDRICAL DRUM HOUSINGS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 9, 1965 R. DE MEISS HAV RMORED VEHICLES ING TURRETS MOUNTING GUNS CYLINDRICAL DRUM HOUSINGS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 9, 1965 3,340,771 ARMORED VEHICLES HAVING TURRETS MOUNTING GUNS IN CYLINDRICAL DRUM HOUSINGS Ren de Meiss, Geneva, Switzerland, assignor to Brevets Aero-Mecaniques S.A., Geneva, Switzerland, a Swiss society Filed Nov. 9, 1965, Ser. No. 507,076 Claims priority, applicatitznl Lugembourg, Nov. 24, 1964, ,43 1 Claim. (CI. 89-36) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The armored vehicle comprises a gun mounted in a turret through a hollow drum forming a housing for the rear. portion of said gun and journalled about a horizontal axis with respect to the turret, said drum extending through an aperture provided in the turret so that a portion of the drum is inside the turret and another portion projects to the outside thereof. The drum comprises two closures giving access to the inside thereof, for inspection or repair of the gun. One of these closures is located Wholly inside the turret when the gun is in horizontal position whereas the other closure is wholly on the outside of the turret when the gun is in the horizontal position.

The present invention relates to armored vehicles comprising a turret fitted with an automatic gun, and it is more especially concerned with light vehicles of this type of a weight ranging from to 15 metric tons.

The chief object of the present invention is to provide an armored vehicle which is better adapted to meet the requirements of practice than those existing at the present time, especially concerning the protection of the means for pointing the turret gun in elevation and the operations that must be performed by the gunner to remedy a firing incident in the operation of said turret gun. The invention is concerned with armored vehicles wherein the automatic gun mounted on the turret is carried by ahollow fluidtight drum containing the rear portion of said gun and journalled about a horizontal axis fixed with respect to the turret and about which the gun is pointed in elevation.

According to the present invention, this drum is provided with a closure located wholly on the inside of the vehicle for at least one angular position of the drum about said horizontal axis, said closure being positioned and dimensioned so that the gunner, after opening it, can have access, from the inside of the vehicle, to the breech mechanism of the gun.

Another colsure is provided in the portion of the drum located on the outside of the vehicle to give access to some parts of the gun.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be hereinafter described with reference to the appended drawings, given merely by way of example, and in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view, with parts in section, of a portion of an armored vehicle made according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view corresponding to FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an explode-d diagram to explain the taking to pieces of the automatic gun carried by the vehicle.

In the following description it will be supposed that the armored vehicle is a light one and has its turret fitted with a twenty millimeter caliber automatic gun.

The vehicle comprises an armored body 1 fitted at the top thereof with a turret 2 provided at the to with a trapdoor 2a. The turret is supported by a roller track 3 and is fitted with an automatic gun 4 which can be pointed Patented Sept. 12, 1967 in elevation by pivoting about an axis XX fixed with respect to the turret. Ammunition carried by a belt is supplied to the gun through a feed mechanism 5.

In the lower portion of the vehicle and under turret 2 there is provided a fixed pedestal 6 for the gunner who is standing on the top 6a of said pedestal.

Gun 4 is secured to a hollow fluid-tight drum 7 which contains the rear portion of said gun. Drum 7 is journalled with respect to turret 2 about axis XX about which it is pointed in elevation.

The angular displacements of drum 7 about axis XX are controlled by a device located wholly on the inside of the vehicle and supported by the turret 2 thereof, whereby this control device is protected against infantry projectiles, shell fragments, dust, rain and snow.

The means for materializing axis XX are preferably located on the inside of the vehicle. For instance as shown, a portion of drum 7 is located inside turret 2 whereas the remainder of said drum, of smaller volume, projects to the outside of said turret.

In the construction illustrated by the drawings, axis XX is defined by two trunnions 8 pivotable in bearings 9 carried by turret 2 on either side of the aperture provided in said turret to accommodate drum 7. Said bearings 9 extend toward the inside of the turret and each of them consists of two portions detachably assembled together by means of bolts 10 the removing of which permits of opening the bearings and disengaging drum 7.

Drum 7 is of cylindrical shape and dimensioned to fit slidably in the aperture, of rectangular general shape, provided in turret 2 to accommodate said drum 7. Between drum 7 and the sides of said aperture are provided packing joints intented to prevent the ingress of rain and dust.

For this purpose, the upper and lower edges of the aperture are provided with rectilinear packing joints 11a parallel to the axis of drum 7 and bearing upon the cylindrical wall of said drum. As for the side edges of said aperture, they carry packing joints 11b, of slightly curved shape, bearing against the side walls of drum 7.

Such an arrangement of gun 4 has the advantage of protecting the gunner against the smoke of the gun and against atmospheric agents (rain, dust, etc.).

The device for controlling the rotation of drum 7, that is to say for pivoting the gun about axis XX, includes at least one hydraulic motor 12, and preferably two such motors disposed respectively on either side of drum 7.

Each hydraulic motor 12 is pivotally mounted about a spindle 13 carried by turret 2 and located under drum 7. The sliding element 12a of each hydraulic motor acts directly upon the drum through a spindle 13a eccentrically located on the corresponding side wall of drum 7.

Hydraulic motors 12 have the advantage of very accurately determining the angular position of drum 7, and of locking the gun in the position it occupies if the gunner temporarily ceases to operatethe motor control member.

Advantageously, as shown, the hydraulic control system comprises an accumulator 14 of liquid under pressure (for instance oil) with a pressure pump incorporated therein.

The pump of this ole-o-pneumatic accumulator is driven by an electric motor 15 automatically started when the pressure in the accumulator drops below a given value (for instance kgs./cm. This arrangement has the advantage of constantly maintaining a pressure suflicient for aiming, although the motor-and-pump unit works intermittently.

An auxiliary hand pump may be provided for filling the accumulator in case of failure of the electric system.

On the other hand, to reduce the power requested from the hydraulic system for pointing the gun in elevation,

the structure oscillating about axis XX may be balanced through spring telescopic means.

Pointing of the gun is performed through a control member 16 having two degrees of freedom and capable of operating two hydraulic distributors, one of the degrees of freedom being used to operate hydraulic motor 12 for vertical pointing, whereas the other degree of freedom serves to rotate turret 2 by means of a hydraulic motor having a speed reducing gear, 17, cooperating with a circular toothed ring 18.

The cylindrical wall of drum 7 is provided with a closure 7a located wholly on the inside of turret 2 for at least one angular position of said drum, advantageously the position for which gun 4 is horizontal. Opening of said closure 7a enables the gunner to have access from the inside of the vehicle to the breech mechanism of the gun and thus to proceed, while he is protected, to the replacement of important parts of said mechanism (movable breech system, firing pin, extractor, recuperator system, locking means, back block, etc.).

The cylindrical wall of drum 7 is further provided with a closure 7b located wholly on the outside of turret 2 for at least one angular position of said drum (advantageously that for which gun 4 is horizontal).

Opening of this closure 7b gives access, from the outside of the vehicle, to some elements of gun 4 and its feed mechanism 5, for replacement or removal of said elements.

In order to illustrate the possibilities offered by such closures 7a and 7b, FIG. 3 shows, in exploded view, turret 2 and drum 7 with, respectively on the inside and on the outside of the turret, the parts which may be removed through said closures when the gun is a Hispano-Suiza (Switzerland) gun, type 820.

Said FIG. 3 shows:

On the inside of turret 2, return spring 100 and its guide 101, back block 102, breechblock 103 with its un locking plates 104 and its locking piece 105, the feed mechanism mounting device 106, and

On the outside of said turret 2, gun barrel 107, shield 108, feed mechanism 5, breech casing 109, buffer spring 110 and its securing pins 111, and gun cradle 112.

In a general manner, while the above description discloses what is deemed to be a practical and efficient embodiment of the present invention, said invention is not limited thereto as there might be changes made in the arrangement, disposition and form of the parts without departing from the principle of the invention as comprehended within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A vehicle which comprises, in combination,

abody,

a turret rotatably carried by said body about a first axis fixed with respect thereto and vertical in the normal position of said body,

said body and said turret limiting together a closed space in which a gunner is located,

the wall of said turret being provided with an aperture of rectangular general shape having its top and bottom edges perpendicular to said first axis,

a hollow cylindrical drum journalled in said turret about a second axis parallel to said top and bottom edges of said aperture, said drum fitting slidably in said aperture,

an automatic gun rigid with said drum and having a breech mechanism housed in said drum,

the wall of said drum being provided with two hatches, the first of said hatches being located, for a given angular position of said gun about said second axis, wholly on the inside of said turret, the second of said hatches being located, for a given position of said gun about said second axis, wholly on the outside of said turret,

an arcuate hatch closure pivoted on said drum to control said first hatch, the position of said hatch closure on said drum and its dimensions being adapted to permit, for at least said first mentioned angular position of said gun about said second axis, said closure to open wholly inside said turret and to enable the gunner in said turret to remove and to replace parts of said breech mechanism, and

a second arcuate hatch closure pivoted to said drum to control said second hatch, the position of said second closure on said drum and its dimensions being adapted to permit, for at least said second mentioned angular position of said gun about said second axis, said second closure to open wholly on the outside of said turret and to enable anyone standing on the outside of said turret to remove and to replace parts of said gun located inside said drum,

both of said hatch closures having the same radius of curvature as said drum.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,812,031 11/ 1957 Aghnides. 2,933,981 4/1960 Anderson et al 89-37 X 3,091,994 6/1963 Segerberg 89-36 3,241,446 3/1966 Wey 89-36 FOREIGN PATENTS 826,545 4/1938 France.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

SAMUEL FEINBERG, Examiner.

S. C. BENTLEY, Assistant Examiner. 

